As Australia’s longest-running trade fair for the interior design and furniture industry, Decor + Design has been at the forefront of nurturing emerging designers from across the field. Visitors and design media were blown away by the talent showcased in 2025, with the VIVID Emerging Designer Awards stand buzzing the entirety of the show.
VIVID takes place every July at the show, celebrating its 22nd year in 2025. This important and highly-respected platform is curated by Latitude Group and judged by industry heavyweights. It has advanced the careers of many prolific Australian designers including Nicole Monks, Edward Linacre, Adam Markowitz, Dale Hardiman, Dean Norton and Marta Figueiredo.
In case you missed it, here are the inspirational winners for 2025, with everything from an ashtray designed to provoke the existential and a UV-reactive drinking bottle. If you’re a design student or designer less than five years in practice, entries for VIVID Emerging Designer Awards will open in March 2026.
Furniture Design | 2025 Authentic Design Alliance Award of Merit
Folding Chair by Jacob de Dassel
A stunning new take on a classic! Folding Chair by Jacob de Dassel is an exploration of simplicity and complexity – a design that tries to reinterpret this kind of elegantly minimal, yet thoughtfully detailed furniture.
Developed through extensive iteration and refinement, Folding Chair balances precision, aesthetic appeal and practicality, with sensitivity to both user experience and environmental responsibility.
It won both the Furniture Design category and the Authentic Design Alliance (ADA) Award of Merit. The ADA works to protect creators, brands and manufacturers from replica and counterfeit furniture, advocating endlessly for authenticity, originality and innovation.
Lighting Design | Kukeri Floor Lamp by Curtis Bloxsidge
Produced in collaboration with 2am close, the Kukeri Floor Lamp by Curtis Bloxsidge is a reference to a Bulgarian costume worn whilst performing traditional rituals to fend off evil spirits. Combining this with the warmth and charm of the art deco fringed lamps to serve as a playful expression of the classic floor lamp.
Curtis Bloxsidge has a background in cabinet making and theatre set construction. His practice, established in 2024, combines traditional and modern techniques to craft bold, minimal pieces from natural materials like jarrah and knit. His designs draw on personal histories and evoke nostalgia and mood.
Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) is native to southwestern Australia and is prized for its strength, rich tones and durability. It is sustainably sourced from regrowth forests under strict environmental regulations.
Object Design | Ridl by Lucy Callahan
Great design makes utilitarian objects joyful to use. Following in the footsteps of Phillipe Starck’s Juicy Salif lemon squeezer for Alessi, Ridl by Lucy Callahan is a bottle opener reimagined for comfort and elegance.
This bottle opener’s unique downward action reduces wrist strain, blending intuitive function with minimalist form. Designed for everyday use, Ridl is both a refined tool and a sculptural object; fit for kitchens, bars, and hands that appreciate thoughtful design.
Concept Design | Colour Award
UV-Reactive Colour Changing Bottle for Sun Safety by Azzura Zappacosta
This UV-sensitive drink bottle by Azzura Zappacosta is purpose-designed for the Australian climate and lifestyle.
The clever bottle changes from white to navy blue in sunlight, helping users monitor UV exposure. The colour choice is accessible for red-green colour blindness. Featuring an ergonomic cap and durable handle strap, it combines sun safety with comfort and convenience for everyday, on-the-go hydration and awareness.
Student Award | Where Two Oceans Meet by Savannah Kelly
We love the gorgeous fluidity of this coffee table by student designer Savannah Kelly.
Inspired by Cape Leeuwin’s oceanic confluence, Where Two Oceans Meet captures the harmony of opposing forces.
Crafted from South West karri and jarrah, its operable tambour doors curve like converging waves, blending functionality with the poetry of nature and a deep sense of place.
2025 VIVID Judges Choice Award | Gnawing [Knowing] by Maryam Moghadam
Every year the VIVID judges award an exceptional entry that challenges the boundaries of design.
Gnawing [Knowing] ashtray by Maryam Moghadam embodies the paradox between message and function, a cautionary object that also enables the very behaviour it critiques.
Existing in the space between advocacy and complicity, Gnaw holds up a mirror to the complexity of human behaviour: our capacity to acknowledge harm while continuing to participate in it.
VIVID Emerging Designer Awards lifts the bar every year, nurturing the next generation of Australian designers. Sponsored for more than two decades by Decor + Design, the finalists for the 2026 VIVID Emerging Designer Awards will be presented at the next trade fair, 15 – 17 July at Melbourne Exhibition Centre. Sign up now to visit or receive notifications when entries open.